


Enough Is Enough (or: Not On Tony's Watch)

by thorkified



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bullying, Embarrassment, Gifts, Implied/Referenced Bullying, M/M, Protective Tony Stark, Shopping, Shy Peter Parker, tony spoiling peter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-16 15:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18096671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorkified/pseuds/thorkified
Summary: Tony cares a lot about Peter and when the boy comes over one day covered in dirt and with a ruined backpack, he decides to take action against the bullying he knows Peter is going through and constantly talks down. He won't let the kid be hurt any longer, not if he can stop it and make him feel better.





	Enough Is Enough (or: Not On Tony's Watch)

Tony grew fond of Peter, that’s not really a secret. Whenever Peter comes over, Tony’s mood is immediately lifted and he enjoys spending time with the kid, whether it’s while they work in the lab or when Peter stays over for dinner. It’s always fun and the kid is a true sunshine. Tony can easily tell that Peter has a crush on him, but he doesn’t mind at all. It’s flattering and charming and there’s nothing bad about having a crush, so he sees no reason to bring it up and embarrass him.

When they become more familiar and open with each other, it’s only a matter of time until Peter talks about things that aren’t as nice and positive, obviously. It’s not much, given the positive attitude and mindset Peter has, but one thing keeps coming up randomly: money. Peter never asks for anything from Tony, but from time to time, the topic comes up and Tony never likes it. It always leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

May works hard to support herself and Peter, Tony knows that and he has never met a woman this determined to give her nephew a decent life, but he also knows that it’s not much that they have. Peter doesn’t complain about it though, he never does. He only ever speaks highly of his aunt, which Tony finds very sweet. The lack of money, however, becomes a problem regularly.

Like that time Peter came over, close to tears, because his phone was broken. Apparently, it was in his backpack as some guys decided to play soccer with it and even after closely inspecting it, Tony had to tell him there was no saving it. The screen was cracked beyond repair and it was bent horribly. He managed to get his SIM out at least, but that was all he could do. Tony knew Peter couldn’t afford a new one and it took hours of convincing before the kid accepted one from him as a gift. 

After that, Peter wouldn’t stop thanking him for weeks, completely overwhelmed that Tony actually gave him his very own Stark phone, something that was more expensive than anything else Peter owned. Tony tried his best to assure Peter that it was fine and that he was glad he could help him get a new one, but from this day on, he sometimes catches Peter looking at his phone, a soft and almost gentle smile on his face, even when it’s turned off. He tries not to blush when he notices this, but sometimes he can’t help it.

The teasing and bullying is something that Peter occasionally mentions, but always acts as if it’s nothing big, even though it is. Tony can see it’s bigger than Peter admits it is, even if he won’t admit it. He hates seeing this wonderful and kind kid in distress over some dumb bullies. Peter doesn’t deserve to be treated this way and Tony finds himself surprisingly protective over him whenever the topic comes up.

One day, Peter comes over after school, tears shimmering in his eyes and clutching his backpack, which is completely torn and dirty, just like his clothes. Seeing this rings all of Tony’s alarm bells and he immediately wraps an arm around Peter’s shoulder to guide him over to a chair, before going to the kitchen and making him a hot chocolate - Peter’s favorite calm down drink. After carrying it over and putting it onto the table, Tony kneels down in front of Peter, looking at him.

“You want to tell me what happened, kid?” he asks, taking one of Peter’s hands into his own.

“It’s… it’s nothing, really,” Peter says and shakes his head, wiping his eyes with his free hand. “Just a dumb fight, nothing bad.”

“I don’t know if you walked past a mirror recently, but it doesn’t look like nothing to me.” Tony tries to sound like he’s joking, but on the inside he’s boiling. Whoever did this to Peter deserves to pay for it. A lot.

“No, it… it’s just some dirt,” Peter insists, turning his head.

“And what about your backpack?” Tony asks, glancing over at it. “What happened to it?”

Peter doesn’t answer, but his cheeks turn pink and Tony absolutely hates it. What on earth did those little brats do? He’s already imagining just walking into Peter’s school to punch them in the face personally when the kid speaks again, drawing his attention.

“May will be so mad… I only had this backpack for a few months…”

Okay, that’s it. That’s enough. Tony won’t let this go any further, no way.

“She won’t be mad,” he says sternly and stands up, taking the mug with the hot chocolate from the table and handing it to Peter. “You’ll drink this and calm down, I’ll take care of this.”

“B-But Mr. Stark!” Peter immediately protests, his eyes widening in shock and fear, but Tony shakes his head.

“No, kid. This ends now,” he says, looking at Peter. “I won’t watch those brats bully you any longer.”

“They don’t! They just -” Peter’s voice trails off and he drops his head slowly.

“We both know that’s exactly what they are doing and you don’t deserve it, okay?” Tony sighs and shakes his head. “It’s Friday, you have all your school stuff with you. I want you to stay here over the weekend, I’ll call May so she won’t worry.”

“But, I can’t!” Peter gasps, clutching the mug in his hands. “I can’t stay, sir, please, I…”

“I’ve watched this for months now, Peter, I won’t do it anymore,” Tony says strictly, ending all arguing. “Tonight we will take care of your homework and you’ll tell me what happened, then I will take care of it.”

Peter doesn’t protest again and Tony nods, leaving to make a few calls.

\-----

“So, you’re ready to talk about it?” Tony asks as he puts down the pizza he ordered for them. Peter still looks uncomfortable, but it got better. After calling May and explaining to her that Peter needs to stay over the weekend so they can work on some things - not without promising her that he will do his homework of course - the teen had barely talked.

“It wasn’t anything important, I told you,” Peter mumbles ashamed, not even looking at the pizza, even though his stomach is growling at the smell alone.

“Okay, then what unimportant thing justifies ruining your backpack and your clothes?” Tony sighs, sitting down opposite of Peter.

The boy is silent for what feels like forever, but Tony gives him his time as he starts eating. He doesn’t want to push him any more than he already did, otherwise he will only shut down more and that isn’t going to help anyone. When Peter finally speaks again, he sounds close to tears.

“We were talking about… about work and how to get experience… and I mentioned internships because it’s a good way of gaining experience and…”

Tony looks up from his pizza, frowning. He knows where this is going, but he needs Peter to tell him.

“Flash started his crap again about how my imaginary internship with you doesn’t count as experience and that I should stop lying because no one would hire a poor ass like me anyway…”

“So, this happened in class?” Tony asks curiously, but Peter shakes his head.

“Afterwards when I… when I was about to leave school… Flash cut me off. And he started it all over again. I told him to shut it and to stop annoying me, but he didn’t… he pushed me over into the dirt and grabbed my… my backpack and started laughing about… how I can’t even defend myself against him.”

“This guy already rubs me the wrong way,” Tony says with the hint of a growl in his voice and gives Peter a sympathetic look.

“I don’t want to defend myself against him,” Peter says and shakes his head slowly. “I could seriously hurt him, I don’t want that. But I’m so sick of him constantly mocking me for being poor and for being weak…”

“You’re probably the strongest kid I ever met,” Tony huffs, but not in a condescending way. “And just because he has money doesn’t mean he’s in any way better than you.”

“I know, but he’s not the one who has to go to school carrying his books on Monday…”

“And you won’t be either,” Tony says, smirking slightly. “I’m sick of this little brat constantly picking on you and I’ll make sure that, if he wants to keep doing this, he will have to go through me first. And trust me, he won’t even dare to try.”

“W-What do you mean?” Peter asks confused, finally looking up again.

“Wait and see,” Tony smirks and grabs another piece of pizza from the box. “Tonight, you’ll eat and get to bed soon because we have a lot to do tomorrow and I need you to be fully awake, alright?”

“Okay, yeah,” Peter says dumbfounded and finally gets something to eat too. “I… I’ll do that, sir.”

\-----

The next day is one that Peter will not forget anytime soon. Tony wakes him early so they can have breakfast and then takes him to a huge shopping mall - not one of those Peter has ever been to though, oh no. This one only has the best of the best and Peter’s eyes nearly fall out when the car stops and Tony tells him they arrived.

Peter protests, for minutes, but Tony doesn’t give in. He shoos the boy out of the car, tells Happy to pick them up again in a few hours, and that’s it.

“I want you to listen closely now, Peter,” Tony says before they walk into the mall, a hand on the boy’s shoulder to keep him in place. “You can buy anything you want today, okay? And when I say anything, I  _ mean  _ anything. I don’t want you to look at the prices, I want you to take things you like and that you want.”

“B-But, sir! I can’t do that! You… you can’t -”

“I can and I  _ will _ ,” Tony says firmly, squeezing Peter’s shoulder. “If I can’t use my money for the right thing, then what is it good for? And you are definitely the right thing, so stop worrying for once. For me, okay?”

Peter looks like he wants to argue again, but he doesn’t. Instead, his cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink and he nods, relaxing slightly under Tony’s touch.

“O-Okay, sir,” he mumbles awkwardly. “I’ll try.”

“Very good,” Tony smiles and wraps his arm around Peter’s shoulder, pulling him closer to himself as they walk inside. “Now, let’s go shopping.”

And shopping they do. At first, Peter is extremely hesitant, barely able to look at the clothes he walks past. That’s when Tony starts picking out things to show him, so ridiculous that it only takes a few minutes before the boy bursts out into laughter and begs him to stop. After that, Tony tells him to pick something else and Peter actually does.

They spend an hour in the first store alone and walk out with five bags full of clothes. Tony doesn’t plan to carry them, however. Instead, he instructs one of the employees to take care of them so they can be loaded into the car when they are done, not without a good tip, of course. Then, he takes Peter to buy new shoes, because the ones he is wearing need to be replaced urgently. After another half hour they deposit the boxes with new shoes the same way as the clothes they bought before and head to the top of the building. For dinner, Tony says. 

By now, Peter is luckily at ease enough to not ask if they can just eat at a fastfood restaurant instead, which kind of amuses Tony. They have a lovely dinner with lots of laughter when Peter tries one of the oysters Tony ordered, calling them slimy little bastards. It’s nice, it really is, especially with Peter finally being comfortable enough to not look at the prices anymore and just picking what he wants to eat.

Once they have satisfied their hunger, Tony takes Peter to the rooftop terrace so they can catch some fresh air, which really seems to be something the boy enjoys. He smiles so brightly when he looks over the city. Tony can’t help but look at him and his almost sparkling eyes, filled with more joy than he has seen in a long time. God knows the kid deserves it.

“Anything else you need to really rub it into Flash’s face?” Tony asks teasingly, earning a chuckle from Peter.

“I bet he’d turn green from envy if I had a Ferrari,” Peter grins and turns around, but his happiness immediately fades away when he sees the smirk on Tony’s face. “That was a joke! I… I  _ don’t  _ want a Ferrari!” he quickly says, shaking his head so hard Tony has to laugh.

“Well, if you change your mind, I can give you mine,” he shrugs, still smirking and leans against the rail. “Until then, how about we replace your backpack and get you a spare one just in case?”

At that, Peter smiles and nods happily. “Sounds like a good idea. And, thank you, sir, I mean it. You don’t have to do this, really.”

“Told you, I want to do it,” Tony shrugs and pushes himself off the rail, looking at him. “And besides, I have the mighty urge to know this brat loses control over his face when you walk into school on Monday.”

“That would be epic,” Peter grins and follows Tony back into the mall when he starts walking.

They manage to find a backpack similar to the one Peter had before, but more sturdy and with some extra pockets, and Tony insists they take three, so Peter can rotate them whenever he wants to. After Peter vehemently denies going to the hairdresser too, insisting that he likes his hair the way it is, they finally leave. Happy is already waiting and their purchases are packed into the trunk, seemingly without Tony ordering them to do it.

Peter feels like he’s in a fairytale when they get back into the car. This day has been one huge dream and he can’t stop smiling, no matter how hard he tries apparently. 

They arrive back at the tower and Tony leads him back to the penthouse, leaving Happy in charge of Peter’s new belongings. They have coffee - Peter’s is almost white from how much cream he puts into it - and chat for a bit, before Tony excuses himself for a moment. When he comes back, he hands Peter a small box.

“What’s this?” the boy asks confused when he takes it, looking up.

“Something you might find useful,” Tony smiles and sits back down again, sipping on his coffee. “Go ahead, open it.”

Peter is hesitant but nods, turning his attention to the box. After carefully opening it, his eyes widen in shock. Inside is a watch, but not just any watch. It’s black, look extremely complex and elegant and has a small engraving that says ‘SI’.

“S-Sir, what…” Peter is so stunned, he barely finds the words to speak. “I can’t - this is too much...”

“Nothing is too much,” Tony says with a smile, taking the watch from the box. He presses a small button on the side and the display lights up. “Activate.”

Peter is completely confused at that, but when he suddenly hears a voice coming from the watch, he nearly falls back on his chair.

“Activated, sir.”

“K-Karen?” Peter gasps and stares at the watch, blinking surprised.

“Yes, Peter,” Karen says sweetly and Tony hands him the watch. Peter takes it as careful as a newborn baby and looks at it in awe. “How can I assist you today?”

“I can’t believe it…” he whispers quietly.

“Why don’t you put it on?” Tony suggests with a chuckle. “Once you have it on your wrist, there’s an option so only you can hear Karen. It also connects to your Stark phone for convenience. There are some extras like an infrared scanner, a tracker, a direct connection to your suit and to mine in case of an emergency and -”

Suddenly, Tony’s voice is cut off when Peter practically lunges across the table and wraps his arms around him, hugging him so tight Tony can’t even breathe for a moment.

“Thank you so much, sir! This is the best thing ever, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It’s alright, kid,” Tony says and pats Peter’s back. He can’t help but smile at the reaction, it’s much more than he expected. “Take good care of it, okay? It’s a special edition just for you.”

“I will, I promise I will, sir!” Peter says and when he pulls back, he actually wipes his eyes. He still holds the watch and when he looks up at Tony, the man can see that he actually cried. “I love it so much, it’s perfect.”

“Glad you do,” Tony smiles and reaches over the table, squeezing Peter’s hand. “Just seeing your reaction is the best reason to give it to you. Plus, it should be practical.”

Peter nods and smiles shyly before putting the watch on. It looks amazing and so expensive, he can’t believe it. He knows Tony has a similar watch, just like he has a similar phone to the one he gave him. It means so much to him that Tony took the time and effort to make this for him and making sure it would be actually useful and not just look good.

The rest of the day, Tony spends by giving Peter a lesson in confidence, which really embarrasses the boy at first because he’s just not used to act the way he asks him to. Tony is patient with him and very reassuring, however, making it clear that this isn’t to change his character, but instead to appear more confident on the outside so he’s less of a bullying target. Peter promises to try, which he does, and at the end of the day, Tony is positive that the boy will be able to handle what’s going to come to him.

Sunday, they spend mostly talking and Tony gives Peter a few more tips on how to come back to Flash if he starts his crap again. Peter, in return, talks a bit more about how long this is going on already and about some other things Flash has done - or what Peter did sometimes - and Tony nearly cries from laughter when Peter tells him about the way he crashed Flash’s car.

When Peter leaves in the afternoon - Happy will take him home and help getting his new stuff over to May’s apartment - he is actually excited for Monday and hugs Tony tight again. He promises to let him know how things go and Tony smiles cheekily.

“Can’t wait to hear,” he says and laughs, squeezing Peter’s shoulder. “Show him to not mess with you, kid.”

“I will, promised!” Peter smiles and suddenly steps on his toes and presses a kiss onto Tony’s cheek. “I’ll call you after school! Bye, sir!”

Tony’s mouth is dry and he just nods, watching the boy run into the elevator. As soon as the doors close, one of his hands comes up and presses against his cheek, his eyes still fixed onto the spot where Peter just disappeared. He can feel that his face is hot against his palm, he’s blushing, and he doesn’t know why he suddenly has this tightness in his chest. Did Peter just… kiss him? Did this really happen?

It’s five minutes before Tony is able to move again and when he can, he shakes his head slowly, letting out a chuckle.

“Oh, Pete,” he sighs with a fond smile on his lips and turns around to keep going on with his day, fully knowing that his thoughts will revolve around this soft feeling of Peter’s lips against his cheek for a long time. “You really are the sweetest boy in the world. I hope you never change, you’re perfect just the way you are…”


End file.
